Lord Chris Patten, named by the British Prime Minister to be in charge of Benedict XVI's trip to the United Kingdom, said that the visit will be "an incredible success."

He told Vatican Radio on Monday that those who criticized the Pope's Sept. 16-19 trip will be surprised to discover its importance.

"I am absolutely certain that all the preparations undertaken by the government, local governments, the episcopal conferences of Scotland and England, will make the Pope's visit an incredible success," Patten affirmed.

He acknowledged that the preparation of the Papal visit has been more complex than expected, above all because the organizers underestimated the "complexity involved in fitting together the State visit aspects and the pastoral aspects, so that they were a seamless whole."